CITY 2 QUEENS PARK RANGERS 0

League Division 1

8th February 1986

attendance 20,414

Scorers Simpson(8), Davies(43)

Ref A Saunders

City Nixon, Reid, Power, Redmond, McCarthy, Phillips, Lillis, May, Davies, Baker, Simpson – sub Kinsey(unused)

QPR Hucker, McDonald, Dawes, Neill, Allen, Fenwick, Walker, James, Rosenior, Byrne, Bannister – sub Bakholt(79)

The champagne has long since gone. lt went down very well, indeed for Sunday dinner at the Redmond household on Merseyside, a kind of private celebration at the man-of-the-match debut performance from 18 year old Steve just 24 hours earlier against Queen’s Park Rangers.
The whole family knew what they were toasting. . . Mum (Doreen), Dad (Tony) as well as Grandad (68 year old Ernie Jones) and girlfriend (Afllnl Thomas) plus his favourite schoolteacher (Ken Fullelove), had all witnessed Steve’s introduction to first team football at the heart of City’s defence in the 2-0 win over the Londoners. They all proudly lined up afterwards, to record the glorious moment in Steve’s very short career to date. “l’m very pleased at the way he played’, said Dad…
The Blues youth team skipper may no longer have a bottle of ‘bubbles’ to look back on as a souvenir of his grand occasion, but he will never be short of memories. The Sunday moming match reports (look at sample comments alongside) have placed the quality of that performance on record.
They might have only been a few frozen days in February to most people, but to sturdy Steve they were unforgettable. Alas, they were also too fleeting.
As follow-up to his home baptism, he retained that defensive role for the tougher test just 3 days later against the League leaders at Everton. The Blues took a battering (losing 0-4) and it is a fact, which Steve accepts, that the youngster did put his first foot wrong in allowing Graeme Sharp the space to hit the final home goal. But Steve had been the least error-prone City defender, certainly the most impressive, and by the time he did boob the game was 13 minutes from its finish and the outcome a foregone conclusion. “l’m very pleased at the way my two games went” reflected Steve this week. “Particularly winning that man-of- the-match award for my first appearance. Then the chance of playing in my home-town, which thrilled me. I’ve played on Everton’s ground before, in games for the Merseyside Boys. But never in front of a crowd that big (30,006) and with such an atmosphere and against such good opposition.
“They were good. lt was much quicker than playing against the Q.P.R. attack. l’ve leamed from that mistake,l should have hit the ball clear straight away. I had control of it and I just wanted to do something better with the clearance. lt won’t happen again. l hope.” Favourite memories? “l remember just about all that took place. I was pleased about my flick-ons at comer kicks, l got to nearly all of them intended for me.”
Best defensive moment? “l’d have to say the first minute of the first match. Paul Power suddenly played the ball to me across the goal face and l hurriedly went to flick it on to Nicky Reid, wide on the right. But there was no call so l didn’t know their striker, Clive Walker, was steaming in to cut out the pass. l had to make a very definite tackle to win back the ball and l’m glad to say l did. After that things could only get better and better, and l felt they did. The incident didn’t throw me, l soon settled down,” said Steve confidently…